Japan Ready to Launch World’s First Wooden Satellite in September 2024

TOKYO – Researcher Japan on Tuesday said it had successfully built the world’s first wooden satellite, with the small cube-shaped object expected to be sent into space on a SpaceX rocket launched from the United States, possibly in September.

As reported by Kyodo, Thursday (30/5/2024), LignoSat, which is a combination of the words ligno, the prefix meaning wood and satellite, is the result of development efforts over about four years by a team involving Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry Co., which aims to utilize an environmentally friendly and environmentally friendly environment. cost advantages of wood in space development.

Wooden satellites are considered better for the environment when they burn up when re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere at the end of their lifetime, compared to conventional satellites made of metal, because they can produce alumina particles which can have a negative impact on the weather. and communications, according to the team.

The latest development is “an invaluable step for the aerospace and wood industries,” Kyoto University and the Tokyo-based wood products company said in their joint press release, stressing that it will help “open up the possibilities of using wood. which is a sustainable resource.”

LignoSat is a 10-centimeter cube made from magnolia wood panels 4 to 5.5 millimeters thick, with a frame partly made of aluminum. It has solar panels installed on several sides and weighs about one kilogram.

It is made based on traditional Japanese techniques that do not use any screws or adhesives.

The team states that they have confirmed the durability of the wood material even in the harsh environment of space.

“We want to make satellites, including the electronic substrate (contained inside them), entirely out of wood in the future,” said Takao Doi, an astronaut who serves as a special programs professor at Kyoto University.

The satellite will be handed over to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on June 4. It will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bound for the International Space Station.

It will be launched into space about a month after arriving at the orbiting laboratory, according to a press release.

The team plans to explore the wood’s potential by analyzing data sent from the new satellite, they said.

(wbs)